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Repressed Memory and Sex Abuse by Catholic Priests

By Corey Rayburnyung

Largely due to statutes of limitations on claims against Catholic priests in sex abuse cases, the use of repressed memory arguments have played a central role in making such lawsuits possible. At Prawfsblawg, Tim Lytton has an interesting post (related to his recent book) on the subject:The Boston Globe recently reported that former priest Paul Shanley, currently serving a 12-15-year sentence for sexually abusing a boy in the 1980s, appeared in court last Thursday to argue for a new trial. In 2004, the Boston archdiocese settled a lawsuit arising out of allegations of sexual abuse by Shanley for $1.4 million. The following year he was convicted in a criminal case in which key testimony was based on recovered memories of the abuse.  The psycological theory of recovered memory asserts that memories of a traumatic event may be repressed and later recovered in therapy or as the result of some event that triggers the memory...continue to full post

Full post as published by Sex Crimes on June 03, 2008 (boomark / email).